QUEST FOR KLAPA SONG

Dear Omiš story hunters,

the QR code within the “Quest for Klapa Song” game has just led you here, to discover some additional interesting facts and a small dictionary of Dalmatian words. We invite you to delve deeper into our world and find out what else the places you visited during your quest have to offer.

To those of you who found yourselves here while browsing the visitomis.hr website – welcome to the world of traditional Dalmatian song! Feel invited to join us and participate in the game that the interesting facts below are associated with. Visit us at our office, pick up your instructions brochure and set out on a quest for Dalmatian klapa song. After finishing all the tasks, hurry back to our Tourist Info Centre to claim a small reward for your effort and the quest successfully completed.

DID YOU KNOW?

*Singing without instrumental accompaniment, which uses only the human voice to produce music is called a cappella. The singers use their voices to create the melody, rhythm and harmony. The term a cappella originated from alla cappella, which can be translated as "in the style of the church (chapel) ", which in turn refers to its historical use in religious, choral music.

*The song "Na omiškoj stini" (On the Rock of Omiš) became the anthem of the town of Omiš in 2002. The text was written by Pere Picukarić, set to music by maestro Dušan Šarac, and performed for the first time at the evening of new compositions of the 26th Dalmatian Klapa Festival in Omiš in 1992, by klapa "Luka" from Ploče.

*The Dalmatian diet, along with Spanish, Cypriot, Greek, Italian, Moroccan and Portuguese, belongs to the Mediterranean diet, which was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. In addition to living and eating in harmony with nature, it is also characterized by a particular way of dining, socializing and gathering around the table.

*The inscription in Latin BONUM DE MERO BONO can be translated in two ways: good comes from pure good or good comes from good wine.

*The coat of arms consisting of a cross and a mace is the official coat of arms of Omiš created in the 16th century.

*The first Dalmatian Klapa Festival was held in 1967 through three festival evenings (July 20 and 26 and August 3) and one final evening (August 21). A total of 14 klapa groups klapa competed, 12 of which were from Dalmatia (Dugi Rat, Imotski, Kaštel Lukšić, Makarska, Opuzen, Split, Trogir, Vranjica and Zadar) and 2 from outside Dalmatia (from Osijek in Slavonia and Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina). A convincing victory, based on the votes of both the expert jury and the audience, was won by the klapa Gusari s Neretve (Neretva River Pirates) from Opuzen.

*The house of the Dalmatian Klapa Festival with the typical Renaissance window dates to the 16th century. In response to the organisation of the first Dalmatian Klapa Festival, Josip Vukušić, known as Ćućur, the owner of the house at the time, donated it to the organisers and it has remained the property of the Festival ever since. It is registered as protected cultural property. The arch above the window is ornamented by a lunette bearing the coat of arms of the Tomadelli family. On the doorpost is the coat of arms of the noble Omiš family Caralipeo-Despotović.

*The permanent exhibition of the Dalmatian Klapa Festival can be seen at the address Petra Preradovića 6 in Omiš. Here you can take a stroll through the first fifty years of the Festival's existence, revealing many interesting details. In addition to the exhibition, the small gallery also contains a souvenir shop with various mementos you can buy to remind you of Omiš and its klapa story.

*At the 7th meeting held in Paris from 3 to 7 December 2012, the expert body of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage proposed klapa singing to be inscribed on UNESCO’s list. On 5 December, the Committee unanimously accepted the proposal and included klapa singing on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

*The author of the sculpture of the Fisherman Weaving his Net is Kažimir Hraste, also the author of several other monuments in Omiš and numerous announcement posters for the Dalmatian Klapa Festival.

SMALL DICTIONARY OF DALMATIAN WORDS

brnistra - Eng. broom, a fragrant plant from which ropes were once made

bukara - a wooden wine jug

bura - Eng, bora, a very strong cold wind that blows from the northeast

ćiriti - to peek

fešta - party, celebration

furešti - foreigners, tourists

gušt - pleasure

isfrižano - scratched

jugo - Eng. sirocco, a warm, humid wind that blows from the south or southeast and brings uncomfortably humid air

kaleta - alley

kašeta - crate (container) for transport and temporary storage of fish

kužina - kitchen

leut - Croatian traditional boat

marenda - brunch, a meal between breakfast and lunch; a bite to eat at any time of the day

nevera - rainstorm

pjat - plate

ponistra - window

spiza - food

škale - stairs

štorija - story

teća - kitchen cooking pot

Town of Omiš Anthem “Na omiškoj stini / On the Rock of Omiš”
Dušan Šarac – Pere Picukarić

NA OMIŠKOJ STINI

On the ROCK of Omiš

Dok Cetina teče uvik će nas biti

So long as the Cetina flows, we shall stand tall

Čvrsti smo ka’ stina, dragi Bog nas štiti

We are as strong as the rock, protected by our loving Lord

Tukli su nas vitri, nevere od rata

We’ve been beaten by winds and storms of war

Al’ slomili nisu granu od Hrvata

But the branch of Croats never broke

Zavonjalo smilje s krša, zapivali grdelini

The scent of sagebrush spread from the rocks, nightingales broke into song

Hrvatski se barjak vije na omiškoj stini

The Croatian flag flies upon the Omiš rock, high and strong

Ponosno i sad leprša taj barjak od zlata

Proudly, even now, flutters this flag of gold

Omiška je stina simbol nas Hrvata

The Omiš rock is a symbol of our Croatian soul

Živi’ će nam ime makar granu sikli

Our name will live on even if the branch should fall

Resti će nam sime ovdi di smo nikli

Our seed will sprout here where we were born